Tuesday, July 21, 2015

"Be true to who you are...."

'To be, or not to be - that is the question.' 

It is no surprise that there is, and will continue to be, a lot of repercussion to Bruce (aka Caitlyn) Jenner receiving the ESPY Arthur Ashe Award for courage.

Let me say, first of all, that I agree it takes a great amount of courage to stand up for what you believe in, especially when you know it is controversial and that there will be backlash - regardless whether it is right or wrong.

My thoughts go back to the day I was arrested for sitting in front of an abortion clinic door in silent protest of the atrocity going on inside. As I was sitting there, someone from the crowd who was opposing my protest grabbed a fist full of my hair and physically tried to remove me by my hair. A righteous indignation rose up within me and I committed at that moment to remain seated regardless of whether my hair stayed with me or not. Thankfully, my 'courage' won out and I stayed until by law, I was removed - and so did my hair!

I anticipate that some day, maybe in the not too distant future, I will be challenged to take a more risky stand for my faith.

Back to Bruce, who was most certainly a great athlete in his day. I don't know if he truly 'deserved' the reward or not, but upon receiving it, he took the opportunity to use his 'coming out' as a platform to support those who had battled or committed suicide over these struggles. All of which are heartbreaking and tragic. Genuine or political on Bruce's part (and I believe genuine), this will only serve to widen the path for others to 'be true to who they are'.

Here is where my heart is grieved.

His comment, which I have not been able to shake since hearing it, in context, shows how so many have been deceived, including Bruce himself:

"If you want to call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions, go ahead, because the reality is, I can take it," she said. "But for the thousands of kids out there, coming to terms with being true to who they are, they shouldn't have to take it."

What does it mean to be 'true to yourself'? And, what about being true to who God created you to be? Sadly, we have moved so far from His truth about us in this day and age that we don't even know who we really are, or why we are on this planet!

Here is a brief rundown of who we are as Christians.  We are:


Created in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:27) 
Forgiven (Colossians 1:13,14) 
We are children of God (Jn. 1:12) 
Complete in Christ (Col. 2:10) 
Free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1,2) 
Fellow heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17) 
We are no longer slaves (Gal. 4:7) 
We are new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17) 
We are set free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2) 
We are justified and redeemed (Rom. 3:22-24) 
Citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20) 
Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13) 
Branches of the true vine, and conduits of Christ's life (Jn. 15:1,5) 
Partakers of His Divine Nature (II Pet. 1:4) 
Delivered from the powers of darkness (Col. 1:13) 
Strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Eph. 6:10) 
More than conquerors (Rom. 8:37) 
The light of the world (Matt. 5:14) 

And the list goes on (but I said I would be brief!). Doesn't this sound better than a life of confusion? He is the Potter and you are the clay.  Let Him mold you.  He is an expert!

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Ps. 139:14)

"Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us and not we ourselves..." (Ps. 100:3)

"And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." (Gen. 1:31)

And finally,

"The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." (Ps. 145:9)

He loves you!








Saturday, July 11, 2015

I don't hate you!

That's right! In fact I love you!  I don't hate anyone.

But, you say, "What if I am gay?"  I say, "No difference! I love you regardless of the color of your skin, the bad things you have done, or the way you choose to express your love outside of traditional marriage."

So why are you believing all their lies when they don't even know me?  They tell you that unless I throw away my Christian convictions about what sin is, then I am intolerant and a hate monger.  If they don't even believe in God, that shouldn't bother them.  I can bake you a cake, but once I say I can't use my business or talents to endorse your event because it is in conflict with my personal beliefs, now I am to have my home and business taken away and my life ruined because of my intolerance.  Is this tolerance? Is this love? No, this is hypocritical.  I must accept your beliefs but I am not allowed to have or live by my own?

WWJD?

He would.................
Feed you if you were hungry
Give you drink if you are thirsty
Clothe you if you were naked
Visit you if you were in prison
Care for you if you were widowed or orphaned
Help you if you are hurting or broken
Die for you

Wait, what?  Yes, He would (and did) die for you, and so would I.

You heard that right!  If I thought my death would save you, I would die for you.  After all, my life is not my own.  I am wholly committed to God and have no question where I am going for eternity. 

But, what Jesus can't do for you (and neither can I) is tell you that your sin is acceptable in God's eyes.  We can't change God's laws to suit man's lusts.  The couple that is living together before getting married - I can't tell them that is O.K.  The guy that is cheating on his taxes - not O.K.  The liar, the cheater, the murderer - all wrong.  Are all loved by God? Yes! Are they welcome at the foot of the cross or in my church? Yes!  Will they hear the truth according to God's word there? Yes!  But we ALL have free will.  I chose to surrender.  You may not.  I don't love you any less.  Understand?

I have nothing to gain by hating you.  My heart is to see you experience the love of God as I did over 30 yrs. ago.

I lived a wild life as a teenager, and did many things that grieved the heart of God.  When I got married I left all those behaviors behind and for several years thought I was doing O.K., because now I was a good person - or so I thought!  I still had a choice to make because I found, as God drew me by His love, that none of my good works could save me.

In the end, EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord!  So glad I chose to bow when I did and now experience the overcoming power of God in my life every day!

What will you do?  As long as there is breath, there is hope.  We are not promised tomorrow though.  Today is the day of salvation.  Now is the time.  God loves you - and so do I!